I Must Rent An Office

[yvk]

To register my Thai limited company I must rent an office or executive desk

But I'll never use this office because I'll have my business in a shopping mall in Bangkok

Can you tell me? If I'll register office in Chachoengsao at my girlfriend's private home - will I be allowed to work in Bangkok? In what cases must I open branch and in what cases I've not to open it?

Different lawyers say different answers to me

[floridaguy]

Can you not use the address of the business in the shopping mall? If not, the labor department does not like the use of private homes as business addresses unless you are actually conducting your business from there. You could use a virtual office, such as Nomad at the Interchange Tower, or one of many others around Bangkok. They cost anywhere from 3000-5000 a month for the virtual office, use of their business address, and occasional use of their facilities such as meeting rooms, copy machines, etc.

[thailandbluegrass]

If you are a farang and want a work permit then you can only work at the place of adress on the Businesses registered address. Before you are granted your tax id, business license etc they will need all of the paperwork including pictures and a map to your business and will also make a personal visit before granting you anything. If you open it under your wife's name then there is a lot of red tape for you to get a work permit.

It sounds like your business is in a shopping centre and in my 10 years being here and also owning a business I have NEVER seen a farang working in a shopping mall business.

Your lawyer should tell you all this and if you are getting different answers then choose the one with the best answer and tell him to get on it. Just don't pay him until you are satisfied.

[steve187]

could you not rent a small cheap shop house, register the business at that address, but get work permit to cover both address,

I am no expert just a suggestion!

[yvk]

You could use a virtual office, such as Nomad at the Interchange Tower

I can not use a virtual office because I need WP. It's possible to rent "Executive Desk" for my company only. You are right about price 3900 bath/month.

It sounds like your business is in a shopping centre and in my 10 years being here and also owning a business I have NEVER seen a farang working in a shopping mall business.

I didn't tell that I'm going to work as seller. I'll have Thai staff for that work.

Your lawyer should tell you all this and if you are getting different answers then choose the one with the best answer and tell him to get on it.

He proposed to me a "special" work permit that will allow me to work in shopping mall on a temporary basis - for example to train my staff. But I'm sure now that it's not good idea

could you not rent a small cheap shop house, register the business at that address, but get work permit to cover both address,

Price for shop house is the same or higher than for executive desk

Ok. Can you tell me?

If I'll have office (executive desk) in Bangkok (for example in Satorn)... Can I have first business in Sai Mai and second in Bangna?

Is it for Labor Department OK that my staff doesn't work in office? But these REAL PEOPLE work in shopping malls!!!

[Sunbelt Asia]

The simplest course of action is to establish a company with the use of a commercial address as that specific landlord would be able to provide supporting documents that simplify the establishment process. If you would like to use a private address then the landlord would have to agree to this, some landlords are reluctant to do so as it increases their tax burden.

If your girlfriend is the homeowner then you must, in addition to the tax issue, clearly display your company name in front of the house as well as assign a space for the company's office.

Since the company would be based in Chachoengsao but the actual location for work is in Bangkok you would be violating the Foreign Labor Act for working outside the permitted location as the main concern is that it is the premises where you, as the foreigner, work.

Once you have secured your initial address, as well as the premises for your business operation you could either:

1. Add a branch office onto

a. Company’s Affidavit (Ministry of Commerce)

b. Tax and VAT registration (Revenue Department)

c. Social Security Funds (Labor Department)

d. Work Permit (Labor Department)

OR

2. Move your company’s head office from the initial premises to the newly rented premises, such a move will require a report to the following government sectors:

a. Company’s Affidavit (Ministry of Commerce)

b. Tax and VAT registration (Revenue Department)

c. Social Security Funds (Labor Department)

d. Work Permit (Labor Department

However, both of these are far more difficult than the easiest path which would be to open your initial premises in Bangkok using the same set of paperwork but only required this once, and with one set of employees rather than one in each province.

Sunbelt Asia offers a full service office with free high speed internet, receptionist and the necessary paperwork all at a convenient Sukhumvit location

http://www.thaiexecutiveoffice.com/

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Disclaimer - you should be asking a qualified lawyer all these questions - the answers you get here are worth exactly what you're paying for them.

I would suggest arranging your affairs so that they appear as normal as possible for the bureaucracies - any departure from the usual will just create problems for you.

My understanding is that as far as **your** paperwork is concerned, they only care about where **you** are working. No one will be concerned about where else your **company** has facilities or where your Thai national staff are working.

Once you've got your paperwork in order, you should be OK as long as you're not hanging out at your shopping mall location for extended periods. You should not be the public face of your business, let the Thais take all the credit, you're just the investor/manager/consultant operating behind the scenes. In practice, dropping by for short periods to touch base with them shouldn't be a problem - there won't be any ongoing surveillance on you unless your activities come to their attention for other reasons.

Keep in mind that the more successful your business appears, especially to competitors, the more likely things will be more tightly enforced or the price of any necessary side-payments increased.

[Soboringtochooseaname]

Yes, it's famous that "qualified lawyers" know everything in Thailand...

[Soutpeel]

Since the company would be based in Chachoengsao but the actual location for work is in Bangkok you would be violating the Foreign Labor Act for working outside the permitted location as the main concern is that it is the premises where you, as the foreigner, work.

Unless of course you get multiple locations detailed on your WP, which is also permissible under the foreign labour act.

[Sunbelt Asia]

The Labor Department, does, in fact, visit work premises these days, to see if you and your Thai employees are working there. In many cases, Thai employees are being interviewed to make sure they are indeed working.

If you only need an office but do not need to rent full premises then an executive desk is the best option for you, it gives you an office to work out of, with internet and a receptionist and gives your employees a place for meetings, paperwork etc.